BlackBerry's start to rise following the release of the BBM app for iPhones and Android devices that got the embattled Canadian phone makers 20 million downloads on the first week of release may be a short-lived spark of hope.

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Although the Waterloo-Ontario-based phone firm's BBM users are now 80 million, a major group could be cut off as Canada's Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault recommended over the weekend a ban on the use of BlackBerry's popular instant messaging service on BlackBerry units issued by the federal government of Canada.

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The commissioner, in a special report to Parliament, pointed out that the text messages are automatically deleted, often after 30 days, that Canadians could not request for these short messages under the Access to Information Act.

A government proposal to auto delete the message after only three days would further risk the right of access.

"It's all about managing the volume of government information. This is something that the government is really struggling with ... They do have a lot of information to manage. But managing information in the context of new technologies cannot be done in a way that affects requesters' right under the Act," Vancouver Sun quoted Ms Legault.

Despite 98,000 BlackBerry devices issued to Canadian government agencies, there is no federal-wide policy on used of peer-to-peer forms of communications such as BBM, PIN-to-PIN and SMS.

The commissioner made the recommendation after a review of 11 government institutions that have BlackBerry-issued phone such as Justice Canada, Library and Archives Canada, National Defence and the Privy Council Office.

However, Treasury Board President Tony Clement rejected the suggestion, saying most of the messages sent using government-issued BlackBerrys are SMS of civil servants to their kids.

"We've got lots of lots of public servants who are parents and maybe they want to make sure that their child is okay," The Star quoted Mr Clement.

He added that that work-related messages

are preserved based on existing rules, and he expects the rules to be followed.

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But Ms Legault insisted the rules are vague.

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